With everyone looking to reduce their environmental impact, many housing managers are looking to be more sustainable with their properties. By specifying the right building products, you can make sure you’re being as eco-friendly as possible, without compromising on aesthetic value. Here, Scott Beattie, Managing Director at Fibo explains how wall panels offer a viable choice for your next housing project.

Being more environmentally friendly is on many housing managers’ minds as they are aiming to make their properties as green as possible. With construction contributing to 23% of air pollution, 50% of climate change and accountable for 47% of carbon dioxide emissions, it’s important to cut down on this wherever possible. 

One way housing managers can ensure their developments are more sustainable is by choosing products that reduce their environmental impact. For example, when looking at bathroom installations or refurbishments, using waterproof wall panels rather than traditional tiles, can add to a project’s green credentials.

Commonly manufactured with a multi-layered timber core – a naturally more sustainable material – using wall panels made from PEFC or FSC-certified wood reduces a project’s reliance on unrenewable resources. Both the PEFC and FSC work to make sure forests are adhering to the standards they have laid out, ensuring that they are following sustainable practices.

However, it isn’t just the composition of the product itself which can benefit the environment; wall panels are also easier to install than traditional tiles and that brings with it more environmental benefits too. For example, they can be fitted directly over existing tiles (as well as plasterboard walls or timber studwork), thus reducing the waste created by the unnecessary disposal of old tiles. Further to this, little wall preparation is needed, again decreasing the materials used during the installation process.

In addition to this, there are other factors to consider when identifying building products for new or existing builds, such as the life cycle of a product. Installing long-lasting and strong building materials that require minimal maintenance during their lifespan is key. Wall panels are a great example of this; with an extremely durable multi-layered timber core, they require minimal upkeep to keep them looking brand new and won’t chip, unlike their tile counterparts and as such is provided with a 25-year guarantee. 

All this adds up to a smarter choice. Indeed, through an independent study, Fibo’s wall panels have recently been shown to have a 37% lower carbon footprint when compared to tiling. Manufactured from high-quality timber materials in an ISO 14001 accredited environment, they offer excellent durability. 

Of course, it isn’t only sustainability that is on everyone’s mind. Aesthetic appeal is still high up on a housing manager’s list of priorities. Indeed, while wall panels may have previously been seen as the cheap and dull option, this is certainly no longer the case. Thanks to market developments, wall panels can offer housing managers an extensive range when it comes to designs. Fibo has a range of over 90 designs, from white marble and ocean blue to black sparkle, including tile-effect options for those not wanting to wholly move away from the aesthetics of tiles. 

By making careful, informed and greener decisions when specifying building products and materials for housing developments, you can ensure that you are doing your bit in helping the environment. Waterproof wall panels are a great example of this, offering a greener, more durable and easier to maintain alternative to tiles.